Greek Exegesis 0NT506, 2 Hours

Transcription

1 RTS DISTANCE EDUCATION Greek Exegesis 0NT506, 2 Hours Lectures by Robert J. Cara, Ph.D. & Mark House, Ph.D.

2 RTS Distance Education This course notebook is for the coordination of your course materials, including reading assignments and lecture recordings. Each course notebook for RTS Distance Education is arranged by the GUIDE acronym. The five components of GUIDE are organized in each lesson by the following steps in the notebook: GUIDE Getting Started To do the lessons, reading and listening assignments are listed. Understanding To maximize learning, the purposes are given. Investigating To explore the content, outlines are provided for note taking. Developing To expand content, readings are suggested. Evaluating To help review, lesson questions are based on purposes. ii

3 COURSE SYLLABUS Greek Exegesis, 0NT506 2 hours Lecturing Professor: Dr. Robert J. Cara Professor of Record: Dr. Mark House Reformed Theological Seminary, Distance Education Lecturing Professor Dr. Robert J. Cara is Professor of New Testament at RTS-Charlotte and Chief Academic Officer for the RTS institution. Dr. Cara was an engineer for seven years before the Lord re-directed him toward seminary. In addition to the traditional New Testament topics, Dr. Cara s academic interests include relating the New Testament to Reformed Theology, creeds, hermeneutics, creation, and narrative criticism. His commentary on 1 & 2 Thessalonians was recently published with Evangelical Press. As an ordained minister in the ARP Church, Dr. Cara has been very involved at both the presbytery and synod levels. He is a former vice-moderator of the denomination and for several years was the chairman of the denominational Inter-Church Relations Committee. He preaches regularly in the Charlotte area. Professor of Record Dr. Mark House is the Adjunct Professor of New Testament and works with RTS Distance Education to develop and support courses. Dr. House s doctoral work at Fuller Theological Seminary focused on the correlation between linguistic style and authorship. He is an ordained minister, having served over 25 years in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church as well as the Presbyterian Church in America. Dr. House has taught seminary courses at the Talbot School of Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary, and most recently serves as a professor at New Geneva Theological Seminary. He has also worked as an editor of academic books in the New Testament and Greek fields for Hendrickson Publishers. Course Description By studying the text of selected passages students learn grammatical analysis, apply hermeneutical principles, and develop exegetical skills. Course Objectives Building on a complete course in the Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar, this Greek Exegesis course takes the student to the next level by placing the student in touch with the Greek text of the New Testament. Students will acquire the tools necessary to bring out (the original meaning of exegesis ) its meaning and communicate its message effectively to others. As you review the basic grammatical categories of first-year Greek, you will also study more advanced concepts of Greek grammar and syntax as well as expand your grasp of Greek vocabulary as you work your way through the original texts from the Greek New Testament. The course will also introduce you to some important concepts of hermeneutics and textual criticism. These skills include: Review and solidify the fundamentals of vocabulary, grammar, and syntax covered in firstyear Greek iii

4 Expand your knowledge of Greek vocabulary to include the 500 most frequently-used words in the NT To introduce you to more advanced concepts of Greek syntax and to sentence diagramming as a way of doing syntactical analysis Become more familiar with the original Greek text of the New Testament through guided translation and syntactical analysis of various passages Gain skills in developing sermon and teaching outlines that reflect the structure of the biblical text To be enriched and strengthened in your walk with God through the study of the Scriptures in their original language Required Textbooks The course will employ three primary textbook resources: Basics of New Testament Syntax by Daniel Wallace, its companion Workbook for New Testament Syntax by Daniel Wallace and Grant Edwards, and the Analytical Lexicon of New Testament Greek, edited by Dr. Mark House and Dr. Maurice Robinson (see textbook list below). The Wallace text will provide you with an ordered and comprehensive overview of Greek syntactical structures and concepts. The workbook will guide you through syntactical analyses of a variety of New Testament passages that illustrate the principles learned in the text. Each workbook lesson will be supplemented by the creation of a detailed analysis of the Greek words and a syntactical outline of each of the passages covered. The Robinson/House lexicon will help focus the contents of the review of first-year Greek and will provide a resource for analyzing difficult Greek word forms. Robinson, Maurice A. and Mark A. House, eds., Analytical Lexicon of New Testament Greek. Hendrickson, [Besides providing an important reference tool for students doing exegetical work, the analytical also has an extensive appendix of the major word forms of the biblical Greek system and a detailed glossary of Greek grammatical terms. This material provides the basis for the systematic review carried on throughout the course.] Wallace, Daniel B. The Basics of New Testament Syntax. Zondervan, [Wallace provides the meat and potatoes of advanced grammatical and syntactical concepts, all well illustrated using New Testament passages.. and Grant Edwards. A Workbook for New Testament Syntax. Zondervan, [The Wallace workbook is the primary source for the weekly homework assignments for the course. It is closely tied to the syntax textbook and is designed to link the grammatical features learned with exegetical exercises taken directly from the New Testament.] iv

5 Recommended Resources Aland, Barbara et al., eds. The UBS Greek New Testament: A Reader s Edition. Hendrickson, [Although most students taking the course will already have a Greek text of the New Testament, the Reader s edition includes vocabulary and parsing helps at the bottom of each page that enable a smoother approach to reading the reduces the need to refer to outside grammars and lexicons.] Cara, Robert J. A Study Commentary on 1 and 2 Thessalonians. EP Study Commentary. Webster, NY: EP, [Cara s commentary illustrates the full process of exegesis as applied to particular texts in the letters of 1 and 2 Thessalonians.] Rogers, Cleon L., Jr., and Cleon L. Rogers III. The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, [This work provides a verse-by-verse exegetical commentary on the New Testament, discussing key grammatical features of the text.] Other Resources: Electronic access to a morphologically analyzed (parsed) Greek New Testament will greatly facilitate the completion of class assignments and exams. (In addition to the main Bible software packages, several free versions of the GNT are available online.) v

6 COURSE REQUIREMENTS Greek Exegesis, 0NT506 2 hours Lecturing Professor: Dr. Robert J. Cara Professor of Record: Dr. Mark House Reformed Theological Seminary, Distance Education Online Student Handbook The Online Student Handbook has been designed to assist you in successfully navigating the Distance Education experience, whether you are taking a single course or pursuing a certificate or degree program. In it you will find valuable information, step-by-step instructions, study helps, and essential forms to guide you through every aspect of your distance education opportunity from registration to graduation. Please use this resource as your first-stop reference manual. You will find it located at the RTS Distance Education website ( under the Student Services tab. Summary of Requirements Complete the Midterm and Final examinations Complete the Exegetical Analyses and Wallace Workbook Assignments Submit an Exegetical Paper Submit a Mentor Report / Course Application Participate in the Student-to-Student and Student-to-Professor Forums Provide reasoned responses to the Topical Discussion Questions Take Weekly Quizzes Forum Discussions (15%) The student is required to interact in two (2) forums: 1. Student-Professor Posts (15 total posts) A. Personal Introduction Forum: The student is required to post a brief personal introduction to the professor/class. Suggested details include your vocation, where you live, your church background, why you chose RTS, and what you hope to gain through the course (1 required post). B. 5 Topical Discussion Q&A Forums: The student is required to answer each topical discussion question with one (1) response. The professor will acknowledge the student s answer and will follow up with a subsequent question to which the student must also answer with one (1) response. Each topical discussion question therefore requires two (2) total posts/responses from the student (Total of 5 forums x 2 posts =10 total posts). C. Student-Professor Forum: The student is required to post four (4) times in this forum. Posts in this forum should focus on course-related content such as research paper topics, lectures and reading assignments, or other academic issues related to the course. 2. Student-Student Forum (5 total posts) A post may be either a new topic or a response to an already existing topic. vi

7 Examinations (25%) Two examinations will be given in this course. The midterm exam will cover lectures 1-6, while the final exam will cover lectures The midterm will consist of four short essay questions, while the final will consist of five short essay questions. Both exams will have a time limit of two hours. Weekly Assignments and Quizzes (30%) Each week the student is required to submit an Exegetical Analysis on a particular New Testament passage, answers from the Wallace Workbook, and take a quiz on the review material. For details on the Exegetical Analyses please consult the document Exegetical Analyses Assignment Instructions in the LMS. Exegetical Paper (25%) Each student will be responsible to submit a 2,500-word exegetical paper that includes an exegetical analysis of a specified passage from the Greek New Testament. You may choose one of the following passages as the focus of your paper: Luke 22:17-20; Acts 8:36-39 (including v. 37); Ephesians 6:14-19; Jude 20-25; or Revelation 5:8-10. The focus of the paper will be on how an understanding of the vocabulary and language of the Greek text sheds light on the meaning of the passage, and how these insights can be used in preaching and teaching. Your analysis should include: 1. A parsing analysis of the passage using the standard form provided in class 2. A literal translation 3. A clause and phrase analysis 4. Brief discussions of significant grammatical, lexical, historical/cultural, and textual issues that may shed light on the meaning of the passage. Your paper should conclude with a sermon or teaching outline of the passage that reflects the structure of the passage. Your paper should draw insights from at least three scholarly exegetical resources (books or articles). Footnotes and bibliography should follow Turabian format. Mentor Report / Course Application Paper (5%) Each Global/Non-Residential student is required to have a mentor submit a report at the end of the course. For students who are not Global/Non-Residential, you are asked to write a 200 word summary of how you perceive what you have learned in this course will fit into the objectives you have for your ministry, your educational goals, or other objectives you wish to achieve in life. Assignments Best practice for your time management is for you to submit all assignments at the end of the week in which they fall, using the upload links provided in the LMS. All work must be submitted by midnight of the course end date, per your course start letter. You are responsible for turning in all assignments on time; no late submissions are permitted. Any student who needs an extension must get approval from the Registrar prior to that time. vii

8 Support The course includes several ways of interacting with your professor, the teaching assistant, and your fellow students. The Student-to-Professor forum provides a place for you to ask questions about Greek grammar, and the Student-to-Student forum allows students to help and encourage one another as they proceed through the course. More personal questions, such as questions related to grades or exam contents, are better handled through . If you feel the need for more personal interaction than is possible online, you may request a telephone conference with the professor or teaching assistant. Contact Information Reformed Theological Seminary, Distance Education 2101 Carmel Road Charlotte, NC (704) FAX: (704) dess@rts.edu Web site: viii

9 COURSE OUTLINE Greek Exegesis, 0NT506 2 hours Lecturing Professor: Dr. Robert J. Cara Professor of Record: Dr. Mark House Reformed Theological Seminary, Distance Education This twelve-module online course is designed to be completed at a pace of roughly one module per week. Weekly modules typically include a lecture video, a review assignment, a reading assignment in New Testament syntax, a workbook and exegesis assignment that applies the reading material, and a quiz covering the review and new syntactical concepts. Midterm and final exams will assess your mastery of lecture contents. An exegetical paper, due at the end of the course, will give you the opportunity to apply the contents of the entire course to the practical work of exegeting a passage from the New Testament. Lecture Review of the Basics Beyond The Basics Quiz Week One: Overview of the Course Introduction to Unicode Greek Keyboarding Words 1-50* Article, Noun, Proper Noun, Case, Nominative Case, Genitive Case (Robinson/House Glossary) Article; Nouns, First and Second Declension (Robinson/House, ) Syntax of Nouns & Nominals: The Cases Nom., Voc., Gen. (Wallace Syntax, 25-64) Lesson 1:6-12 (Wallace Workbook, 17-18) John 1:6-8 Quiz 1 syntax reading for week 1) * Vocabulary is reviewed in succession based on frequency of use in the NT ix

10 Week Two: What is Exegesis? Overview of purpose and methods of exegesis; introduction to word and sentence analysis (diagramming); developing parsing skills Week Three: Exegeting Greek Verbs and Verbals- Part I Week Four: Exegeting Greek Verbs and Verbals- Part II Words Dative Case, Accusative Case, Vocative Case, Direct Object, Indirect Object, Declension (Robinson/House Glossary) Nouns, Third Declension (Robinson/ House, ) Words Adjective, Substantive, Adverb, Particle, Negative Particle, Gender, Number (Robinson/House Glossary) Adjectives (Robinson/ House, ) Words Pronoun, Personal Pronoun, Possessive Pronoun, Relative Pronoun, Demonstrative Pronoun, Intensive Pronoun, Interrogative Pronoun, Reflexive Pronoun, Reciprocal Pronoun (Robinson/House Glossary) Pronouns Personal, Demonstrative, Relative, Indefinite, Reflexive, Possessive (Robinson/House, ) Syntax of Nouns & Nominals: The Cases Dative, Accusative (Wallace Syntax, 65-92) Lesson 3:7-12 (Wallace Workbook, 36-38) John 18:15-17 Syntax of Nouns & Nominals: The Article (Wallace Syntax, ) Lessons 5:5-8 (Wallace Workbook, 53-55) Eph. 1:1-3 Syntax of Nouns & Nominals: Adjectives, Pronouns, Prepositions (Wallace Syntax, ) Lesson 7:9-15 (Wallace Workbook, 75-77) Matt. 5:17-20 Quiz 2 week 2) Quiz 3 week 3) Quiz 4 week 4) x

11 Week Five: Introduction to Lexicography and Semantic Range Words Verb, Mood, Indicative Mood, Voice, Active Voice, Middle Voice, Passive Voice, Deponent Verb (Robinson/House Glossary) Indicative Verbs: Ω Conjugation (Robinson/ House, ) Syntax of Verbs & Verbals: Person & Number, Voice (Wallace Syntax, ) Lesson 9:6-9 (Wallace Workbook, 93-96) Philippians 1:15-18 Quiz 5 week 5) Week Six: Exegeting the Synoptic Gospels Words Tense, Aspect, Present Tense, Imperfect Tense, Future Tense, Aorist Tense, Perfect Tense, Contraction (Robinson/House Glossary) Indicative Verbs: Contract and Mi Conjugations (Robinson/House, ) Syntax of Verbs & Verbals: Moods Indicative (Wallace Syntax, ) Lesson 10:4-6 (Wallace Workbook, ) 1 John 4:7-10 Quiz 6 week 6) Midterm xi

12 Week Seven: Using Exegetical Commentaries and Tools Week Eight: Exegeting Greek Clauses Week Nine: Using Bible Translations in Exegesis Words Subjunctive Mood, Primary Tense Suffixes, Continuous Aspect, Simple Aspect, Stative Aspect (Robinson/ House Glossary) Subjunctive Mood (Robinson/House, ) Words Optative Mood, Secondary Tense Suffixes, Compound Verb, Lexical Form, Principal Parts, Reduplication (Robinson/House Glossary) Paradigm review: Verbs: Optative Mood (Robinson/House, ) Words Imperative Mood, Interjection, Preposition (Robinson/ House Glossary) Verbs: Imperative Mood (Robinson/ House, ) Syntax of Verbs & Verbals: Moods Subjunctive, Optative, Imperative (Wallace Syntax, ) Lesson 11:9-13 (Wallace Workbook, ) Matt. 5:13-16 Syntax of Verbs & Verbals: Tenses Present & Imperfect (Wallace Syntax, ) Lesson 14:13-17 (Wallace Workbook, ) Acts 3:3-7 Syntax of Verbs & Verbals: Tenses Aorist and Future (Wallace Syntax, ) Lesson 15:8-18 (Wallace Workbook, ) Luke 19:41-44 Quiz 7 week 7) Quiz 8 week 8) Quiz 9 week 9) xii

13 Week Ten: The New Testament Text and Exegesis Weighing External Evidence: Using a Critical Apparatus Words Genitive Absolute, Gerund, Participle, Periphrastic (Robinson/ House Glossary) Verbals: Participles (Robinson/House, ) Syntax of Verbs & Verbals: Tenses Perfect & Pluperfect (Wallace Syntax, ) Lesson 16:23-30 (Wallace Workbook, , ) John 11:39-44 Quiz 10 week 10) Week Eleven: Hermeneutical Methods for Sermon Preparation Infinitive (Robinson/ House Glossary) Verbals: Infinitives (Robinson/House, ) Syntax of Verbs & Verbals: Verbals Infinitives & Participles (Wallace Syntax, ) Lessons 19:15-18 (Wallace Workbook, ) Quiz 11 week 11) Acts 13:28-31 Week Twelve: From Exegesis to Expedition Clause, Enclitic, Conjunction, Conditional Particle The verb xivvvmiv All Forms (Robinson/ House, ) Syntax of the Clause: Clauses, Conjunctions, Conditional, Volitional (Wallace Syntax, ) Quiz 12 week 12) Exegetical Paper Final xiii

14 REFORMED THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY SYSTEM Course Objectives Related to MDiv* Student Learning Outcomes Course: Greek Exegesis Professor: Robert J. Cara MDiv* Student Learning Outcomes In order to measure the success of the MDiv curriculum, RTS has defined the following as the intended outcomes of the student learning process. Each course contributes to these overall outcomes. This rubric shows the contribution of this course to the MDiv outcomes. *As the MDiv is the core degree at RTS, the MDiv rubric will be used in this syllabus. Articulation (oral & written) Scripture Reformed Theology Broadly understands and articulates knowledge, both oral and written, of essential biblical, theological, historical, and cultural/global information, including details, concepts, and frameworks. Significant knowledge of the original meaning of Scripture. Also, the concepts for and skill to research further into the original meaning of Scripture and to apply Scripture to a variety of modern circumstances. (Includes appropriate use of original languages and hermeneutics; and integrates theological, historical, and cultural/global perspectives.) Significant knowledge of Reformed theology and practice, with emphasis on the Westminster Standards. Rubric Strong Moderate Minimal None Strong Strong Minimal Justification Student submits serious academic Greek Exegesis paper. Must include both conservative and critical viewpoints. Each week the student will exegete verses from the Greek New Testament. Reformed sermon hermeneutics are included. Sanctification Demonstrates a love for the Triune God that aids the student s sanctification. None Desire for Worldview Burning desire to conform all of life to the Word of God. None Winsomely Reformed Preach Embraces a winsomely Reformed ethos. (Includes an appropriate ecumenical spirit with other Christians, especially Evangelicals; a concern to present the Gospel in a God-honoring manner to non-christians; and a truth-in-love attitude in disagreements.) Ability to preach and teach the meaning of Scripture to both heart and mind with clarity and enthusiasm. Minimal Moderate Exegesis paper should reflect appropriate respect for other viewpoints. Reformed sermon hermeneutics are included. Exegesis of New Testament texts. Worship Knowledgeable of historic and modern Christian-worship forms; and ability to construct and skill to lead a worship service. None Shepherd Church/World Ability to shepherd the local congregation: aiding in spiritual maturity; promoting use of gifts and callings; and encouraging a concern for non-christians, both in America and worldwide. Ability to interact within a denominational context, within the broader worldwide church, and with significant public issues. None None xiv